Walmart pilots ScripTalk

By Allison Cerra

BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Walmart has partnered with En-Vision America to launch a pilot program that provides those who cannot read standard print a safe and easy way to access the information on their prescriptions.

ScripTalk, a talking prescription system, currently is being offered to customers with visual impairments across the country through Walmart mail order and in three test stores located in Talladega, Ala.; Tupelo, Miss., and Englewood, Colo. The program is free to Walmart pharmacy customers who are blind or visually impaired. How it works: a prescription provided with ScripTalk has an electronic chip embedded in the standard print label, Walmart said. To hear the information on the chip, the customer simply places the prescription container on the ScripTalk device and presses the button.

Customers who either currently fill or would like to fill prescriptions through Walmart mail order or at the pilot stores listed can contact En-Vision America at 1-800-890-1180 to request a free ScripTalk Talking prescription reader.

"Today's announcement demonstrates Walmart's significant leadership in serving its customers with visual impairments," American Council of the Blind president Mitch Pomerantz said. "This pilot is an important step in ensuring that people who cannot read standard print get the information they need to safely take prescription medications."